Stay With Me (A Wattpad Novel)

by Jessica Cunsolo

  2

  Aiden pushes himself off of the locker he was leaning on and studies me as Annalisa and I approach him.

  “How’s your face?” is the first thing he says to me once we’re close enough.

  Wow. He’s so romantic. The corner of my lip turns up. “Not as bad as yours.”

  He smiles at me as he shakes his head, immediately pulling me in for a hug, and I melt as he rests his chin on the top of my head.

  I’ve talked to him over FaceTime during this past week, but this is the first time I’ve actually been with him in person since that hectic night where we were in a car accident and almost killed by Andrew’s orders. Being in Aiden’s arms now, hearing his steady heartbeat and feeling the tight muscles in his back, I can say with absolute certainty that nothing can substitute for the feeling of actually being with him in person.

  “Are you okay?” he whispers to me.

  There’s something about sharing a traumatic, life threatening experience with someone that brings you immediately closer to them. When you think about it, Aiden and I kind of saved each other’s lives. Actually, not kind of. We did. Harvey’s gun was pointed at me when he pulled the trigger, but the shot went wide because of Aiden’s quick thinking. Harvey started slicing Aiden’s throat but stopped when I shot him, and I’m so grateful my aim was good that day.

  Being with Aiden now, I instinctively know that no matter what happens in my life, he’ll always be close to my heart.

  I nod to answer his question. “Are you?”

  He pushes a piece of hair behind my ear and pulls back to meet my eyes. “I’m better now.”

  My heart flutters, and I remember when he said something similar to me after we got separated at the Tracks when the cops busted the races, which seems like forever ago.

  Annalisa clears her throat. “I wanted to know how you were, too, in case you were wondering.”

  I laugh and pull away from Aiden so that Annalisa can have her turn with him.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she says when they pull out of their hug.

  Just then, Noah and Julian come around the corner and pull Aiden into one of those bro hugs.

  “I knew we’d find you here,” Julian says to Aiden with a quick glance in my direction.

  “But would it kill you to answer a text message every once in a while?” Noah complains as he gives Aiden a shove.

  Aiden rolls his eyes and steps aside so I can open my locker.

  “Hey, how are the twins handling all of this?” Annalisa asks. “Have you explained everything to them yet?”

  Aiden sighs and runs his hand through his hair, which I just noticed is getting kind of long now.

  “I mean, just like with the whole finding Greg dead outside our house thing, I didn’t exactly tell them everything. But they know who Andrew Kessler is now, and they don’t really care for him. So since we’re staying at Mason’s for a bit, Brian and Natalia have been really good with keeping them occupied and getting them ready for back to school.”

  Ever since Aiden’s arrest, Mason’s dad has legal custody over Aiden and his brothers, Jason and Jackson, until Aiden turns eighteen and is allowed to file for custody. I’m guessing it’s working out pretty well for now, since Aiden’s been dealing with a media frenzy and it’s helpful to have actual adults around that you can depend on.

  The warning bell rings, so we all start moving toward class. As we walk, Aiden grabs my hand in his bigger one, and I smile as I look up at him.

  “Hey, just a heads-up, don’t make plans this Friday.” Noah smiles not so innocently.

  Aiden sighs, already knowing what he’s talking about. “I told you, I don’t want a birthday party.”

  “You’re turning eighteen in two days! You’re getting a birthday party! My house. This Friday. Be there.” Noah stresses the importance of each word.

  “Noah, the last time you threw a party, you ended up in the hospital,” I point out, and I know none of us want a repeat of that. Especially right now.

  He looks at me thoughtfully, then says, “You can’t just stop trying to live because something bad happened. We’re just gonna pull up our big boy and girl pants and throw the best damn party that Aiden deserves. And no one is going to talk me out of it.” He looks at us with narrowed eyes, challenging any of us to disagree.

  It’s Aiden’s party, so really, he gets the final say. He sighs, mumbling something that sounds like “Fine, whatever,” under his breath, making Noah smile triumphantly.

  As we walk, something about Noah’s words resonate with me. Bad things happen in life—especially mine lately—and we can’t let that stop us from living. I am going to get through this senior year and have a normal life if it kills me, which it honestly just might. With my new resolution coursing through my veins, I feel more determined than ever.

  “What classes do you have after lunch again? History, spare, then math with me?” Aiden asks me as we walk up the stairs.

  “English, spare, then math. Why?”

  “We have a sub for math.” His eyes light up mischievously. “What do you say we get out of here after English and go do something?”

  “Like what?” I ask, trying to hide my absolute delight. Alone time with Aiden? Don’t have to ask me twice! We haven’t had any real alone time since before the accident.

  “Your choice.”

  “So if I wanted to get pancakes …?”

  “Then you’re getting pancakes.” He smiles a bright smile that transforms his whole face, and I feel my heart squeeze.

  “Then how can I say no?” I’d never say no. Who knows how much time I have left with him?

  “Good. I’ll meet you at your locker after fourth period.” He kisses my forehead quickly, an act that for some reason feels so much more intimate and sweet than a kiss on the lips, and leaves in the opposite direction with Julian.

  Noah and I have the same class, and Annalisa’s class is near ours, so we continue to room 341, the class that started all of this.

  “Well, damn. I’ve never felt more like a fifth wheel in my life,” Noah grumbles. “Anna and Julian were on one side of me making out, and Amelia and Aiden were on the other side of me making out. But no one’s over here making out with me before first period.”

  “We were not making out,” Annalisa and I defend ourselves at the same time.

  “Yeah, yeah.” He dismisses us. “Maybe it’s time I find a nice girl and settle down. Any suggestions?”

  “Kaitlyn,” Annalisa says flatly.

  We both swing our heads over to look at her.

  “That’s not even funny,” I deadpan.

  “No, I’m not talking about Noah,” she explains, tilting her head in the direction she was looking. “I meant Kaitlyn is coming.”

  I follow her gaze, and sure enough, the she-devil herself is marching right in our direction.

  3

  I can practically feel the excitement coursing through Kaitlyn’s veins at getting to pick a fight with me. She must have gone stir crazy over the break without having me to annoy the shit out of. She and Makayla stop in front of me and cross their arms over their chests in what seems like practiced synchrony, barely even noticing Annalisa and Noah at my side.

  Kaitlyn has the same icy, blue eyes and permanent scowl etched on her face as always, but she looks different somehow. Tired, maybe.

  “I’m glad you tried to fix your face over the break, it needed a lot of work done.” Kaitlyn sneers. “But I thought people get plastic surgery to make themselves look better, not worse. You should consider suing your doctor.”

  Back at it again. Is it bad that I’m almost excited to trade insults with her? This feels somewhat normal, innocent even, at least in comparison to what we’ve just been through. “You must’ve sued the shit out of your doctor, then, Kaitlyn. I mean, I’d be pissed if my face came out like that.”

  “Kaitlyn’s face came out great!” Makayla jumps to her defense, earning her a glare from her friend and an amused eyebro
w raise from Annalisa, Noah, and me.

  “I didn’t get plastic surgery, dumbass,” Kaitlyn hisses at her second-in-command before turning back to me. “Well, either way, that monstrosity you call a face is distracting everyone here. I could get you a paper bag to wear if you’d like?”

  I narrow my eyes at her. “My face was good enough to steal your man.”

  Ohhhh shit.

  Boom.

  Mic drop.

  I didn’t actually steal Aiden from her, he’s made that abundantly clear. But damn, that felt good. I swear I see her eye twitch and a vein in her forehead pop, but she does a good job trying to remain calm and unfazed. Wow, maybe her New Year’s resolution is to try not reacting explosively.

  Annalisa’s laughing beside me, and Noah is practically glowing with pride.

  “Ryan is twice the man Aiden is.”

  Doubt it. “Not that I don’t thoroughly enjoy our time together, Kaitlyn, but is there a reason I’m spending my morning talking to you?”

  Her blue eyes laser focus on me. “I hate you. I more than hate you, I despise you. You’ve had a good first semester, running around thinking you’re the queen of the school. But that ends now. This is my school. I’m running the show.”

  She takes a step closer to me, and I force myself to square my shoulders and stay where I am, not backing down. The shadows under her eyes that she’s concealed with makeup are more prominent this close, and she seems different. Older, maybe. But still the same, entitled attitude.

  “Ryan thinks there’s something off about you, more than in the sense of you being a stupid little bitch, and I agree. Andrew Kessler is going to ruin Aiden’s life, and we’re going to ruin yours.” She gets even closer to me, if possible, and this time I do step back. “Secrets don’t stay secrets forever. Stay out of my way.”

  I open my mouth to lob back a snarky comeback, which is what I’m known for, but my mind draws a blank. I’m honestly a bit rattled. All the time she’s spent hanging out with Ryan has clearly changed her. She seems more focused and calculating, less likely to explode and go off with just the right comeback. She’s always been kind of scary, but now she seems more threatening, if possible.

  Something on my face must give away how much her words just affected me, because Noah steps in and gently pushes her away from me. “Lay off, Kaitlyn.”

  She gives him a calculated smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Don’t act like I killed someone. I’m not the one who has a murderer for a brother, am I, Annalisa?”

  Oh. No. She. Didn’t.

  Annalisa’s head snaps over to Kaitlyn so fast I get whiplash. “What?” she says lowly, almost as a warning.

  “Ryan told me that the Luke Montley who’s going to rot in jail for killing his dad comes from your white-trash family,” she basically sings, loud enough for the whole hallway to hear.

  Annalisa and Luke have different last names, so when his name came out in the news, no one harassed her since they didn’t know he was her brother. Even though Annalisa doesn’t have the greatest relationship with her brother, we all know how much this is affecting her, and how bothered she is with her brother spending his life in jail.

  I put a hand on Annalisa’s arm, warning her not to react the way Kaitlyn wants her to react.

  “Does your brother get his jollies from killing innocent old men? Is that what you do in your spare time, too, Anna?”

  Suddenly, whatever was holding me back before disappears from my mind since it’s no longer me Kaitlyn’s threatening, it’s my friend. Brushing past Noah, I get so close to Kaitlyn that I can count each eyelash.

  “Tread very carefully here, Kaitlyn,” I warn in a low voice, making sure she understands every word I’m saying. “I know your mom’s the principal and you think you’re untouchable, but I promise you, push the wrong buttons and nothing’s stopping us from pushing back.”

  “I’m just stating facts,” Kaitlyn says confidently, no fear in her eyes at all.

  Annalisa moves around Noah, assuring him she won’t do something stupid, and I step back so that she can stand in front of Kaitlyn. It looks like it takes Annalisa a great deal of strength to stand so near Kaitlyn and be somewhat calm. She’s basically fighting every instinct in her body that tells her to destroy Kaitlyn.

  “Talk about me or my family again, and I will find you, and I will make sure that no amount of reconstructive surgery is able to fix your face after I’m through with you.”

  The tone that Annalisa uses sends shivers down my spine, and she’s not even talking to me. To Kaitlyn’s credit, she looks completely unfazed by Annalisa’s promise. It’s probably something she’s heard before, plenty of times, from Annalisa. Kaitlyn actually smiles, as if she just won some game that Annalisa and I weren’t even aware we were playing.

  “Just stay on your shitty side of town and we won’t have a problem.”

  The corners of her lips tilt up in a malicious and triumphant smile. Satisfied, she turns around and walks off, shoving a kid out of her way and into a locker without a thought as she continues down the hall, Makayla at her side.

  “Whoa, someone took an extra dose of their evil psychopath pill this morning,” Noah says as we watch Kaitlyn disappear around the corner.

  I don’t hear what Annalisa replies, my brain focusing on what was just said. Secrets don’t stay secrets forever.

  Here I was, excited to trade insults with Kaitlyn like the good old days and feel back to normal in our routine, our simple, safe routine in comparison to murder attempts and political scandals, but obvious Kaitlyn’s stepping up her game. Does she know something? Is she close to exposing me? If she doesn’t already know and digs deep enough, she’s going to stumble onto a secret that’s much bigger than she, or anyone, could’ve ever imagined.

  THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

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  Published in Great Britain by Penguin Books in association with Wattpad Books, a division of Wattpad Corp., 2020

  Text copyright © Jessica Cunsolo, 2020

  Cover design by Laura Mensinga

  Cover image © Logan Weaver (front cover) via Unsplash

  and © Camille Minouflet (back cover) via Unsplash

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  ISBN: 978-0-241-46084-9

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